Nigeria’s EV charging market grows, stressing reliability, software, and partnerships for wider adoption
Nigeria’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure is expanding, with Lagos leading adoption and Abuja picking up pace, according to Philip Ogunleye, CEO of Vine Mobility & Technologies, in a Nairametrics interview. He says the conversation has shifted from whether EVs make sense to where to build chargers, how to run them profitably, and what makes them commercially viable. The real gap is not the number of chargers but the ecosystem around them: drivers need confidence that a charger will work when they arrive, and providers require tools to monitor networks, respond quickly, and maintain high uptime. Software has become the backbone of charging networks, enabling real‑time visibility, predictive maintenance, payment processing, and data‑driven investment decisions. Ogunleye notes that drivers value certainty over speed—knowing a charger will be available and easy to use matters more than shaving minutes off charging time. For wider adoption, he recommends wider coverage, stronger interoperability between networks, and better real‑time information so charging becomes intuitive and unremarkable. Business models that succeed focus on locating chargers where demand exists, delivering a dependable experience, and using technology for efficient operations. Partnerships—embedding charging in shopping centres, workplaces, hotels, fleet depots, and transport hubs—are seen as key to scaling the network commercially. The milestone for mainstream EV adoption will be when drivers choose an electric vehicle without second‑guessing where to charge it.